Gen. Colin Powell - "I Tried To Avoid This War."

Complete video at: http://fora.tv/fora/showthread.php?t=1452

Former Secretary of State Colin Powell responds to critics who claim he could have personally done more to prevent the current U.S. war in Iraq.

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Jim Lehrer interviews General Colin Powell at the 2007 Aspen Ideas Festival.

Some of the most inspired and provocative thinkers, writers, artists, business people, teachers and other leaders drawn from myriad fields and from across the country and around the world all gathered in a single place - to teach, speak, lead, question, and answer at the 2006 Aspen Ideas Festival. Throughout the week, they all interacted with an audience of thoughtful people who stepped back from their day-to-day routines to delve deeply into a world of ideas, thought, and discussion.

Gen. Colin L. Powell served as the 65th US Secretary of State from 2001 to 2005. As a professional soldier for 35 years, Sec. Powell held many command and staff positions and rose to the rank of four-star general. From 1989 to 1993, he served as the 12th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the highest military position in the US Department of Defense. During this time, he oversaw many crises, including Operation Desert Storm. He served previously as National Security Advisor to President Reagan. His civilian awards include two Presidential Medals of Freedom, the President’s Citizens Medal, the Congressional Gold Medal, the Secretary of State Distinguished Service Medal, and the Secretary of Energy Distinguished Service Medal.

Jim Lehrer is the anchor and executive editor of PBS’'s The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer. Lehrer has been honored with numerous awards for journalism, including a presidential National Humanities Medal in 1999. In the last five presidential elections, he moderated ten of the nationally televised candidate debates. Lehrer has written 16 novels. His latest, The Phony Marine, was published in November 2006. He also has written two memoirs and three plays. His 17th novel, Eureka, will be published in fall 2007.

Category:

News & Politics

Tags:

• iraqi
• bush
• administration
• planning
• baghdad
• saddam
• hussein
• invasion
• pottery
• barn
• doctrine
• occupation
• army
• military
• foratv
• fora.tv
• fora
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[Kimmis1990]

Colin Powell was the only sane guy in the Bush Administration.

[vlad1915]

@spartan2600 the UN is just a beehive of corrupt incompetents. who sit on their fat asses all day long and have callgirls in their office. Its fitting they have their HQ s in the US.

[guyNbluejeans]

I remember thinking that these people learned nothing from Vietnam and how easy it is to get into a war but getting out is a different story. And when they set a specific date that they would attack they attacked a day or so earlier because "we thought saddam was at that particular place at that time." So right there we knew this was going to be a total waste of money and lives! FOOLS! They should have sent a covert sniper team in to kill saddam and his sons instead & let Iraq sort itself out!

[Loejyrrab]

@MyTotalRemedy I take that as a compliment. And I too say to you, "finally, someone gets it"

Happy freekin New Year.

[MyTotalRemedy]

@Loejyrrab

Finally, someone gets it.

[Loejyrrab]

@MyTotalRemedy Man, you're on a roll!

[Loejyrrab]

@MyTotal I'm not sure of your ploitics, but whatever, I think you're correct here. Powell and especially McClellan were less than honorable. I despise George Bush, especially his cavalier attitude towards our troops. He sent them into Iraq for flimsy ass reasons and 6K died, including suicide related deaths. Damn him. But McClellan is a stool pigeon, a snitch. He could have protested during his tenure. It would have been honorable to leave his job. But no, his book deal was more important.

[MyTotalRemedy]

@Loejyrrab

"Perfect, infallible", Colin Powell reminds me a lot of Benedict Arnold.

No honor. No loyalty. No convictions.

[MyTotalRemedy]

@Loejyrrab

Almost all pols are self-involved, but I think Powell is one of the worst. Isn't it disgusting that he would be so willing to betray everybody around him so people would keep on loving him, even though he never was as unpopular as everybody else in Bush's administration? I'm not Bush's #1 fan, but he was (too) trusting, loyal, and (overly) idealistic. What Powell and Scott McClellan did was sell him and the others out to save their own skin. What society glorifies that?

[Loejyrrab]

@edgar0001 Damn right edgar. The war was planned by the neo-cons in the early 90's. They tried to sell it Clinton, then they found a buyer in Bush/Cheney/Rummy.

[Loejyrrab]

@MyTotalRemedy I don't disagree that Powell's rep was of the utmost importance. Look, I'm a liberal but don't you think as I do that almost all pols, to one extent or another, put their own interests first? I think Ron Paul is an exception, but all the others. Well!

[MyTotalRemedy]

@ULTIMATEACE8

Why the hell does almost everybody love him?